Fierce Origins
by G-Man8776
Summary: The great dragon Majora had conquered the lands and sent the world into eternal nighttime. Humanity's future was bleak at best and the peoples' faith was wearing thin. However, just when all hope seemed lost, the Four Giants intervened. This tale chronicles the origin of the Fierce Deity, and more thoroughly explains the history of Majora's Mask Termina itself. Reviews are welcome!
1. Prologue

It had been many, many ages since the Four Giants had ascended into the heavens to watch over Termina, the world they had created, from a dormant state. The land remained tranquil and prosperous, and the population and technology of humans quickly began to grow as time passed.

Humans, of course, were not the only creatures to inhabit the world. Their world had also come to accommodate some terrible beings; creatures that crave chaos, demons that desire darkness, monsters with an appetite for human flesh. They fought constantly, against and amongst themselves. Humans generally had an easy time defending themselves by banding into small hunting-and-gathering tribes.

However, the humans could've never been prepared for the swift and unforeseen rise of the great dragon, Majora. He was a large beast, the height of 3 grown men and just as long. His whole was draped with thick, white, low-hanging fur except for his face and tail. He wore thick, impenetrable armour on his lower back that followed to the tip of his tail. The ends of each of his four feet bore three massive, black, razor-sharp talons. His mouth was beaked and three large horns protruded from the sides of his head, just behind his narrow, sinister eyes. The dragon's physical strength was only matched by his magical might; he had the ability to raze fires from nothing, summon freak storms, and even control the winds themselves.

Majora began his conquest quickly by traveling from tribe to tribe, settlement to settlement; causing great havoc and destruction with his both physical and magical forces, making sure every corner of the world would know his name only speak it with fear. Eventually, he had every human tribe and settlement and every race of monster submit and heed his words. Once he was sure he had total control over Termina, Majora made one final act of dominance. He had an ace hidden up his sleeve, and just when the habitants of Termina thought they had seen the full extent of Majora's wrath, on the third night after he had effectively taken control, he froze the passage of time, locking the world in eternal nighttime.

He was able to do this through simply asking it of his armour. Legend said that his armour was enchanted, and held magical properties, one of which being the ability to grant one wish to whoever the wearer be. Majora himself knew this to be true and had waited until this very moment to use this ability.

Now with the land trapped in infinite darkness, Majora ruled with an iron fist. Many years passed with humans under suppression by their vicious king, and eventually day by day hundreds of adventurers, travelers, and courageous men would seek Majora's presence to challenge him for kingship. Some went with the hope of liberating Termina of its cruel tyrant; others were drawn by the allure of his armour and the power it would bring. Whatever their desires, Majora devoured them all.

Humanity's future appeared bleak at best. With their numbers dwindling and their hope fading, most of the populace turned to prayer. It was then that the Four Giants realized that they needed to take action.


	2. Chapter 1

"Now Link, don't go too far. And stay within the town walls! It's dangerous out there in the darkness."

"Yes mom. I know," Link groaned. "You tell me that every time."

"I just want you to be safe. It's a rough world out there," his mother replied, "especially for a young boy like you."

"Can I please just go see Saria now?"

"Yes dear, of course you can. Just make sure you're back when the stars have moved… Oh, let's say… Two hand-lengths."

"Okay! Bye mom!" Link said happily as he turned and ran off into the bright orange glow of the flame-lit town.

"Be safe and have fun!" His mother called back to him, before heading back into their house.

Link and his mother lived in a fairly large town in the outskirts of the Ikana Kingdom. Like all other cities and settlements in the Kingdom, the town was built in a large, circular shape with stone walls and watchtowers all around it. The only way in and out was through one of four large, guarded gates, only allowing farmers, merchants, and royalty access. The town itself was lit to the extreme; lamps, torches, and any source of light possible illuminating the entire community.

Settlements like this, Link had learned from school, were established to protect the human race from the plains and forests infested with demons that thrived in the world's darkness. Eventually the settlements banded together to form the Ikana Kingdom, in a protest of the Demon Lord Majora's rule. Despite the Kingdom's best efforts however, Majora and his beasts vastly outnumbered the Kingdom and still held control of most of the land.

Link didn't know why the world he lived in was constantly in darkness. It was something that he was extremely curious about. He expected he would learn about it in school soon but not even the adults he had spoken with knew very much.

Link continued, heading toward the meeting spot that he and Saria had decided on yesterday. They had chosen an alleyway in the northeast of town, where Link usually hung out with his other friends. Saria was different, however. He and she were… closer. Link had a crush on Saria, and he had for as long as he had known her. Every time they were together, he just felt as though there could be nothing better in the world. He had been eagerly waiting for this and felt absolutely ecstatic.

Link found the alley in about 10 minutes, where he found that Saria was already there, sitting on top of a large wooden crate against the side of a stone building. When Link approached the alley she looked over to him and smiled brightly. Of all the sights in the world, her smile was the only one that could captivate Link so deeply. Link smiled back as he approached her.

"Hop up!" She said as he came up to her. Link climbed up onto the box and sat beside her.

"Jeez, what took you so long? I've been waiting here for years!" She joked, nudging him as she spoke.

"Hey, give me a break! I had to run all the way across town. You only live a couple blocks away," He retorted. They laughed.

They engaged in their usual gossip, joking about their classmates and insulting bullies and whatnot. After a couple minutes of this, Link remembered why he really wanted to meet with her here.

"Oh! I've just remembered there's something I want to show you here!"

"Oh?" Saria said inquisitively.

"Yeah," Link continued. "Just follow my lead and you'll be fine."

Link then stood up on the crate and stepped back toward the wall, as she turned and stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"You might want to move," Link warned her. She got up and stepped to the side, on the edge of the box.

"See that ladder on the opposite wall?" Link pointed towards it.

"Yeah," Saria replied, still not understanding. "What about-"

Before she could finish her sentence a rush of wind flew by her and she looked over to see Link sailing through the air toward the ladder and the stone wall behind it. At the last second Link extended his arms to catch the ladder, and his legs to cushion the impact. With a soft thud, Link latched onto the ladder.

"See?" Link turned his head and called back to her. "Just like that!" Saria stared at him, mouth open, completely caught off guard by his sudden boldness.

"That was amazing!" She said, smiling. Link continued and climbed up onto the roof of the building (Saria guessed to be about 15 feet).

"Are you coming?" Link yelled down to her, poking his head out from the rooftop.

"I'm not sure if I can do that…" Saria called back to him.

"Sure you can!" He reassured her. "It's easy!"

"I don't' know…" Saria replied, still unsure.

"Just trust me. You can do it, I know you can."

"Alright…" Saria said, partially to herself.

She hesitantly stepped back toward the wall in the same way Link had done, and then, slowly at first, began to run. She reached the edge of the crate and leaped with all of her momentum. She heard the wind in her ears as she flew across to the other wall, clearing a good four and a half feet. She wasn't ready as she came up to the ladder, catching it and then slamming into the wall. It hurt, but she was alright. She looked up at him, eyes wide. She couldn't help but smile.

"Wow! You actually did it!" Link called to her, laughing. She laughed with him. She climbed up onto the red tile roof and stood there with him facing the alley, taking a minute to catch her breath.

"Alright, now what?" Saria asked when she was ready.

"Do you see that tower on the rooftop across from us?" Link pointed toward it.

"Yes…" Saria replied, realizing where he was going with this. Before Saria could say another word, Link raced by and leaped at full throttle, soaring through the air and landing (somewhat roughly) on the other side. Link got up and dusted himself off, then made a bow towards her. She laughed. Link then took off across the rooftop toward the tower. It extended a good 10 feet above the building below it, and was entirely brick, except for the glass windows around it and the slightly pointed red tile roof on its top.

"Hey! Aren't you gonna wait for me?" Saria called.

"I'll go slowly. I'm sure you can catch up!" Link called back as he jumped up and grabbed onto a windowsill, beginning his ascent.

Saria looked down over the rooftop; it was a long drop down to solid concrete. _Alright Saria, you can do this. It's simple._ She took a couple steps back. _Just how Link did it…_ She began to run. She quickly reached a full sprint and once she reached the edge, she leaped. She felt as though she was flying as she sailed through the air. It was simply exhilarating. She quickly came to the other roof and prepared for landing. Her legs hit hard, but she managed to recover with a smooth roll. She jumped up to find Link holding onto the top of the window with his head turned watching her.

"That was awesome!" Link said to her. They both laughed. Saria ran up to the spot where Link began and started to climb below him. It wasn't too difficult as the structure happened to have a lot of grooves that were easy to grab hold of. Eventually they managed to reach the top, although Saria had trouble pulling herself up. Link was more than happy to help her though. Once they were both up, they were awestruck by the amazing view.

"Wow! You can see the whole town from here." Saria commented.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Link answered. They both stared for what seemed like an eternity. They looked out at the large center of the city, where the four main roads all connected into one big area of commerce. There were merchants and towns folk alike, some on horses, some with trolleys, all visiting the hundreds of shops along the bright orange streets. They could see the four different districts, all separated by the main roads. The outer edges were largely residential, with homes and gardens all around.

And then, lying beyond the wall past the four districts was the Wilds. Thick forests and wide meadows, looming with danger, yet also mystery, within the darkness. And further beyond that, you could see the sparsely lit roads that travelers would follow when wondering to the other cities, with their orange glows, just barely illuminating the horizon.

"All the lights… All the people… Isn't it just… Amazing?" Saria said finally.

"Yeah…" Link replied. They moved closer together.


	3. Chapter 2

He and Saria sat there together for what seemed like an eternity in his mind. He looked out into the city, taking in the view; the lights, the people, the districts, the gardens… Then Link spotted something interesting… An insane idea popped into his head.

"Hey, wanna do something crazy?" Link said, looking over to her excitedly, smiling.

"Well, depends on what you mean by crazy," Saria replied.

"No," Link responded quickly, "nothing dangerous!" He assured her.

"Okay good," Saria said. "I was worried you meant crazy like jump down from here or something," she joked.

"No nothing like that! We'll be fine! Well… Yeah, we'll be fine!" Link replied laughing.

"Wait," Saria asked, suddenly suspicious, " 'Well…' what?"

"Nothing, nothing! We'll be perfectly safe I swear," Link reassured her.

"Okay… I'm gonna trust you on that… So what exactly is this 'crazy' thing?" Saria asked.

"Alright, do you see that park over there near the edge of town, with the big willow tree right over the wall?"

"Yeah," Saria replied after Link had pointed it out, "Is that where we're going next?"

"Yep," Link answered curtly.

"Why?" Saria asked, again confused.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Link replied simply. "Now, just like before, follow my lead and you'll be fine." With that, Link grabbed the edge of the roof, swung over, and began to descend with Saria following moments after. They quickly reached the bottom and with Link still leading, jumped back across to the other rooftop and climbed down the same ladder they had jumped to form the crate. The ladder didn't reach all of the way down and so there was a drop near the bottom, but they easily hopped off.

"Alright, you ready?" Link turned to her and asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Saria responded eagerly.

"Okay, just making sure," Link replied. The two then set off into the lights of the city; traversing side streets, major roads, and alleyways that would seem labyrinthine to those that hadn't spent most of their life exploring the paths with friends. Link and Saria eventually came upon the park and Saria followed Link as he approached the great, low-hanging willow. Saria noticed that he was looking around the area quite suspiciously as he came toward it.

"So," Saria began as they reached the willow, "why are we here?"

"Did you happen to notice while we were up on the roof back there that the branches of this willow are hanging right over the wall? Usually gardeners tending to the outlying gardens trim the trees' branches but they must've missed this one!"

"So?" Saria asked. "Why's that important?"

Link then began to climb the willow's pale trunk with Saria watching, intrigued. Only when Link grabbed hold of one of the branches hanging out over the wall did she realize his intentions.

"Link! What are you doing?" She yelled up at him, shocked. Link dropped down onto the wall and sat facing her, the branch still within reach above him.

"Oh come on, this is probably the only chance we'll ever get to actually see the outside! Like… the outside world!" Link called to her.

"This is crazy, Link! It's dangerous! We could get hurt!" Saria called back.

"Oh please," Link said, dismissing the notion. He turned and looked behind him. Beyond the wall there was a small field, about thirty yards in length, with a dark forest extending miles beyond that. The field and forest's edge both were dimly illuminated orange by the city's bright glow.

"There's nothing even there! It's just a field and some woods!" Link called back. "Come up and see."

"No!" Saria shouted back. She walked up to the wall, as she no longer wanted to shout. "Just come down here!" She said sternly.

"Oh please," Link began, "don't tell me you've never secretly wanted to do this. That you've never been curious to see what it's like out there. That you've never been even _slightly_ drawn in by its mystery. This could easily be the only chance we'll ever get to experience the outside world!" Saria considered this for a moment.

_He's right… This could be the only chance I'll EVER get… There could be anything out there… I have always been intrigued by what could be out there…_

"Okay fine," Saria decided, "I'll climb up there and take a look, but that _does not_ mean that I'm gonna go out there." She then walked over to the willow's wide trunk and began to climb. She reached the same branch as he had and gracefully swung across onto the wall, sitting down beside him. He shifted and they both faced out toward the woods and the field before it.

"See, there's nothing," Link remarked. "Just… Stillness and a dim glow. It'd be serene if the sounds of the city weren't enough to ruin it." They both let out a light chuckle.

"Alright, fine. I'll do it," Saria said finally, giving in.

"Really?" Link asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I wanna see what it's like." Saria admitted.

"Wow…" Link said, processing this. "Okay, let's go then." Link then got up and hopped up, latching onto the branch above him, and began to shuffle his way along, passing the wall.

"I'm officially outside!" Link said, looking over to Saria with a wide smile on his face. He quickly reached the edge of the branch and let it bend and lower him before he dropped off. Saria then followed after.

"We're actually OUTSIDE of the city!" Link said, feeling in a state of disbelief. "I never thought I'd ever be able to say that…" They slowly walked out further into the field.

"This is just… Incredible…" Saria commented, at a loss for words. As they walked further into the field, they felt the sudden drop in temperature.

"Burr… It's cold… I've never felt cold like this before…" Link remarked.

"Me neither…" Saria agreed. "So how far are we gonna go here?" Saria asked.

"I think I see a small clearing in the forest up ahead…" Link suggested.

"What? The forest? That's insane!" Saria said, caught off guard.

"Come on, we've come this far. There's nothing stopping us now!"

Saria let out a sigh and thought about it. "Alright, fine. We'll go to the clearing but _only_ that far. Then we're heading back."

"Yeah, of course," Link assured her. They continued walking through the meadow toward the forest, keeping low just in case there was a watchtower nearby that they failed to notice. Saria began to shiver slightly. She moved closer to Link.

"I'm cold," she said to him.

"So am I," he said back, "but I can keep you warm if you want." He put his arm around her. She leaned into him as they continued. Finally they reached the low-lying bushes and shrubs at the forest's edge. They separated and Link went ahead, clearing the way for Saria behind him. They eventually found their way to the clearing, both shivering greatly now. The clearing was roughly circular in shape, 10 meters in diameter, and was thick with knee-high grass. As they entered, they noticed a wide, towering oak tree to their left, with thick roots arcing out above the ground before tunneling into the hard soil. The arc of the nearest root to them made a small alcove beneath it. Link and Saria crawled into it to take shelter from the cold. They laid back; sharing each other's slowly diminishing warmth. Link sighed.

"Heh, you can see your own breath," Link commented.

Saria let out a deep sigh to see. She giggled. They leaned closer together and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You know, despite the near-freezing temperatures here, it really is quite beautiful here. The untamed flora… The silence… The sheer, blissful silence…"

"Yeah…" Link agreed. "Almost romantic, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Saria replied.

"You know Link, there's something I've been meaning to tell you…" Saria began.

"No, wait," Link stopped her, "there's something I want to tell you too."

"Oh? What?" Saria asked softly, looking up to him.

"I… I really like you Saria. I have for a long time. You're just so… Smart, and funny, and beautiful, and just… Amazing."

"Link, I…" Saria said, surprised. "I was going to say the same thing!"

"What? Really?" Link said, taken aback. He was at a loss for words, processing this, when he sat up and looked over to Saria. She was leaning closer to him, eyelids slowly closing, lips slightly puckered. Link taking the hint did the same. They kissed for several seconds, before separating. Saria stared at Link deeply.

"Wow…" Saria said, looking deep into his eyes. Link returned her gaze for a few moments, before lying back where he was. Saria continued to watch him before lying back where she was and resting against him as well. Minuets passed, then hours, days, maybe even years. Link neither knew nor cared. All he cared about was the fact that he was with her.

Eventually his eyelids grew heavy, and his heart beating began to calm. He yawned, then and looked over to Saria, expecting her to comment when he found that she was already asleep. He let his head fall all the way back as his eyelids became too heavy for him to fight. Before he fell asleep, he felt a powerful, yet soothing warmth come over him. Then everything faded.


End file.
